Police Says Copenhagen Mall Shooting Suspect Had Mental Health Issues

Denmark’s Police have said the suspect in a weekend shooting at a Copenhagen mall in which three people were killed was known to mental health services.

Copenhagen police chief Soren Thomassen said on Monday; “Our suspect is also known among psychiatric services, beyond that I do not wish to comment.”

Later on Monday, a police statement said the suspect was remanded in a closed psychiatric ward. It came after a court ruled that he should be kept in custody for at least 24 days, which can then be extended.

Thomassen had earlier said that the victims appeared to have been randomly targeted and there was nothing to indicate it was an act of terror.

He said; “Our assessment is that the victims were random, that it isn’t motivated by gender or something else.”

The three killed have been identified as a Danish teenage girl and boy, both aged 17, and a 47-year-old Russian citizen residing in Denmark. Another 4 were injured in the shooting.

The shooting occurred on Sunday afternoon at the busy Fields shopping mall, located between the city centre and Copenhagen airport.

According to police, the attacker was armed with a rifle, a pistol and a knife, and while the guns were not believed to be illegal, the suspect did not have a licence for them.